


It's Over, Isn't It?

by SmolandAngry



Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-04-29 01:59:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14462577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmolandAngry/pseuds/SmolandAngry
Summary: Joseph has been found. After being in the STEM for approximately 4 years, there's no telling what his mental health is like. Sebastian knows all to well what a few months of exposure to the horrors that hunt and stalk the land can do to one's mind; there's no telling what years could do.Sebastian needs to get him out as soon as possible. But there was one more thought that scares him. Joseph will never be the same, he knows this, but who will he be when he finds him?***************This is what happens when Bethesda ruins a character that I love and throws him out the window like trash only to pick him back up on the side of the road, clean him up and then put him in the attic for "safe keeping."I need my Joseph back and if the developers won't give him to me, I'll get him myself.





	1. Fuck

Fuck, his head hurt. There was a dull ache that wrapped around his head, squeezing out every ounce of willpower he had. Any plans of getting out of bed today were cancelled and replaced with complete and utter laziness.

The closer to consciousness he came, the more pain he felt. It stretched from his arms to his legs, feet, hands. Everything hurt. He made a mental note to stop drinking full bottles of whisky before bed.

"Ah shit," Sebastian said as he opened his eyes slowly, cringing at the bright light swaying above him.

He went to brush the sleep out of his eyes, but was denied relief by leather restraints pulling on his wrists, stopping his hand just above his stomach. "Fuck. Where the hell am I?" It was in that instant that he recognized the light he was staring at. He lifted his head off the pillow as far as he could and took a quick survey of the room.

Nothing had changed. It had the same dingy walls, same metal door, same wooden desk; hell, even the coffee cup was still there. And then the calming familiar song the echoed through the room, confirming his suspicions. Beacon.

His head flopped back onto the pillow in defeat. He just couldn’t get away, could he? Every time Sebastian thought he was safe; every time he thought that there was no way to get back into STEM, something or someone proved him wrong. Much to his dismay, this place seemed to like him and there was no way it was letting him go without a fight.

"Hello detective. I'm glad to see you awake," the tauntingly kind voice of Tatiana Gutierrez echoed from the door. She sounded a little too sarcastic for his liking.

"Aren't you just," he growled.

She stepped slowly towards his bed, stopping at the chair and sitting in it delicately. In her hand was a white mug with the label of a tea bag hanging over the edge."Why the hell am I back in Beacon, Tatiana." The words came out as a bitter and low growl.

"You tell me, detective, I wasn't the one who brought you here." She didn’t look at him. She focused on dipping the tea bag in and out of her cup.

“Then who? I sure as hell didn’t volunteer for this!” He struggled against his restraints in frustration.

"Are you sure about that?" Tatiana mused before taking the tea bag out, sipping long and slow on the drink. He rolled his eyes. What the hell was she talking about? Did he want to be here? No, the last place he wanted to be was back in his bed at Beacon.

It stung to call it his bed; that he was here long enough to actually call it his bed. This bed was the only comfortable thing he had in STEM and it was stained by nearly every bodily fluid he could think of whether it was his or somebody else’s, not to mention it wasn’t actually that comfortable as far as beds go. The springs stuck out and into his back, leaving him sore after even a few minutes of sleep. He was reminded how miserable and cold he felt while in STEM.

There was no such thing as relief in STEM. Only an endless discomfort that was easy to walk off, but still there just enough to annoy the hell out of someone who is used to sleeping in a proper bed that didn’t fuck up his back.

Sebastian stayed silent for a while, not sure of what to say. He knew it was pointless to fight the restraints and he knew it was pointless trying to get an explanation from Tatiana. It was then that he was reminded of something. He fell asleep on the couch to the sound of his daughter singing to her favourite show.

“This is a dream, isn’t it?” He sounded almost hopeful.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Her voice rang through out the room. Her heels clicked on the floor as she walked towards the door. “If this is a dream, what purpose does it serve? Why would your dream bring you back to Beacon, detective?”

“A good fucking question,” he muttered.

“I’m sure you’ll find out soon. When you wake up, you might even want to come back. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“What?”

“Good night, detective Castellanos. Or rather, good morning.”

“What the hell... oh shit.”

Suddenly the room began spinning. His restraints the only things keeping him on the bed as the room rolled forward, then stopped, leaving him dangling like a sack of meat.

“Fuck.”

He kicked the air out of panicked instinct, that’s when he heard it. A low rumble, like distant thunder that grew closer and closer. He thought he was going to go deaf, it was so close. Then, silence. He didn’t know what was more terrifying, the growl or the silence. In his line of work, it was usually the silence.

Yellow teeth, with green lips drawn back in a wet snarl appeared at the door. Drool dripped off the teeth, starting out clear, then red with blood. His feet swung loosely, probably looking more like a tantalizing treat than his own legs to whatever was at the door. The growl came again. Hungry, no, starving. Sebastian Castellanos was about to become the meal of a faceless beast. That’s one way to go, he remarked.

“Oh shit,” he said, realizing he might actually never wake up from this dream. “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!” Sebastian struggled to grab a hold of the restraints, or anything, really, that would stop him from falling to an imminent and painful death.

He looked down through his legs. The beat’s mouth opened, revealing rows upon rows of teeth that lead to the black pit of it’s throat. His thoughts went to Lily. What would she do? What would happen after she lost her dad? She had already lost him once in the fire (or at least she thought she did), would she be strong enough to loose him again?

His right arm fell to his side with a loud thwack. Fuck. The strap broke and by the sounds of it, the other one was close to breaking too. He reached up to grab a hold of the bed, but he was too late.

There was a split second for him to realize that he was no longer attached to the bed; to take in the thought of him falling. The rest were dedicated to fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck fuck fuck fuckfuckfuckfuck...

****************

“ Fuck! ” Sebastian jolted upright, sweat hung off his eyelashes and made his shirt stick to his chest. Panting, he relaxed and took in his suroundings.

Home. That was a good sign. At least he wasn’t at Beacon anymore.

He flopped back onto the stiff couch, which shook under his weight. “Fuck,” he said again, wiping the sleep out of his eyes, thankful for not being stopped by leather restraints. His eyes scanned the ceiling as he made an attempt to understand his dream.

It was then that he was aware of something on top of his legs as he shifted. Looking down, he saw a bright pink blanket with white blob-like flowers. Lily’s blanket. She must have put it on him after he fell asleep and then went to bed herself. Smart kid. While being a core for Mobius, she probably learned to take care of herself pretty quick. Who else was supposed to tuck her in when daddy couldn’t?

A painful tang hit Sebastian’s heart as he thought about his daughter being alone. He tried to reverse it by telling himself that she wasn’t alone anymore. She had him to take care of her now, there was no way he was going to fuck this up a second time.

He stretched with his arms above his head, letting his whole body take up the length of the couch listening to the satisfying crack that came from his vertebrae. He sat up, scooting to the edge and resting his elbows on his knees. He felt exhausted. How long was he asleep? What time was it?

Looking over at the clock on the wall. It was oddly silent, that was what he first noticed, after a few more minutes staring, he saw the needles weren’t moving. The clock was stuck on 11:43pm. Vaguely remembering that he went to bed at around 9-9:30 (considering that was when his daughter’s show was on), he figured that it stopped some time in the night. What batteries did it take again? AA? He'd find out later.

Sebastian stood up slowly, grimacing as his knees creaked and groaned. He gathered up Lily's blanket and set it aside, holding it a little while longer; taking I'm the idea of his daughter being with him again. Everything he believed before Beacon was a lie. If he had known she was in the STEM, would he have been able to save her and avoided everything from Union? It was only a couple months ago that he had taken his daughter out, what would life had been like if he had known... what would his life be like if Juli was up front with him from the start?

As if on cue, Lily ran out from behind the door frame, holding a picture in one hand and her doll in the other. Her big blue eyes were full of glee as she ran up and hugged him.

"Good morning!" She said, well, nearly shouted in his ear, but he was partly deaf anyways. It didn't matter.

"Morning sweetheart," he said back, thankful to see someone real before him and even more so because that real person was his daughter. He gestured toward the picture. "What'cha got there?"

"It's a drawing, I made it for you!" She held it up proudly and began pointing at all the characters she drew. “ See, this is you! And this is all the bad guys you beat up!” She gestured to a rather round stick figure with a gun in their hand and a red tie that he guessed was supposed to be him. The other three characters on the page included a man lying on the ground bleeding from a hole in his head, another that was missing most of his chest and finally a man coloured over with black crayon.

"What happened to this guy?” He asked, pointing at the black man.

"He burned!”

"Oh... that’s...” lovely, just lovely. The more he looked at them, the more he recognized them. It was, of course, Stefano, Theodore and... Ruvik. _I really dug myself a hole this time, didn’t I Myra_? He thought to himself. He often found him self asking “Myra” questions about his parenting whenever he made a mistake that he knew he was going to regret later on in life, like the first time he said fuck around Lily who then repeated the word until she fell asleep. He would always imagine Myra’s sweet laugh and telling him that he was overthinking parenthood too much and that he was doing a good job. God, he missed her.

"Do you like it?” Lily asked excitedly.

"Uh...” shit. He didn’t think she would ask him this. What should he say? Should he lie? He can’t teach his daughter lying was acceptable when someone was giving you something. Fuck. “Uuuhvfcourse I do! It’s wonderful. A little on the bloody side though, you might not want to share this one at school.”

"Oh, okay!” And just like that, she was off. Probably to make another drawing. He hoped it was one he could put on the fridge and not in the fire or a drawer that will never be opened again... Sebastian began to wonder if Stefano’s “art” had any influences on her own. She had been with him for a while and had probably seen a great deal of his... masterpieces? No. Disasterpieces. _Heh, good one._

There was a loud grumble that came from his stomach. Whatever time it was, it was probably way past breakfast.  __Lily was probably just as hungry at him, if not hungrier. It was time for him to step into his routine as a new, old dad.


	2. The Domestic Life of a Castellanos

Sebastian stood in the door way of the kitchen watching his daughter colour in another drawing on the coffee table of the living room. He hoped that this one was a little less like the other one and more like the ones she drew before. He'd hate trying to explain to her teachers that she was abducted 5 years ago and forced to become the center and power core of an experiment to create an alternate universe or a virtual reality (he wasn't quite sure) then put through what was probably years of mental abuse and torture. Not to mention having her death faked via inferno and made to believe that her father had died in that s _ame_ inferno.

That'd be a bitch.

He ran his hand through his hair. _Things just aren't the same, are they Myra?_ He thought to himself. There was a part of him that was fighting tooth and nail to get everything back to the way it was. For the husband and devoted father in him, it was an uphill battle that he was loosing. Badly.

The other part of him was faced with the depressing idea that there was no way it was ever going to be the same. Especially in this tiny place.

He'd been trying to save money to move out, but it hasn't been working. KCPD doesn't give him enough shifts to make a decent living. They assume he's crazy or too drunk to work properly. He thought about all the papers he had been sent telling him to grow a pair and sober up or he'd be out a job. And a good one at that. He'd need to find another as a back up plan.

It's true. He's gone overboard with drinking, but since he has Lily back he's been cleaning up. He only drinks at parties and family occasions. How many of those does he go to a year?

Alright, maybe a drink or two before bed, but it's just to help him sleep. And one in the morning. A jump shot, he called it. _Man, I really do have a problem._ He realized solemnly.

He guessed he was stuck here. In a home that felt like it was shrinking.

After Beacon, he moved into an apartment which, to be honest, seemed a lot larger when he first moved in alone as opposed to now.

The Castellanos "residence" was a small thing compared to their previous house. A kitchen connected to the living room through an open frame. Small hallway with two doors on either side (one Lily's room the other belonged to him), a small bathroom at the end of it. And a door at the other end of the living room that led out into the hallway which led our into the big wide world. Something Sebastian had been afraid venturing into since Beacon. Union only solidified his fears. He _had_ been abducted by someone he thought he could trust. If that's what trust got him, he wasn't too sure if he was prepared for what strangers could give him.

He sighed, dismissing his depressing thoughts.

The apartment was nice as far as apartments go, but still not the same.

He tried his best to make Lily's room as comfortable as possible. He went so far as to buy her a large bookshelf which was supposed to be filled with all the books on her floor that neither of them got around to cleaning it up. Not to mention her fish tank with Bulbus. Her gold fish. Which she loved. Possibly more than she loved her own father.

At least the rent was nice. Only $1500 for the both of them. It would have been a steal if not for the ants. And the mice crawling through the ceiling. And the draft in his room. And the light odor of eggs that lingered through out the house. Not to mention the stain he was covering up with a painting he was pretty sure was mold. And the holes. Oh my God, there were holes everywhere. Walls, ceilings, floors, couches. Hell, he was even sure there were holes in his bottles of whiskey! Though, that might just be the alcoholic in him.

He sighed through his nose. He had a lot of work to do. _Is it even worth it?_ He asked "Myra," knowing full well she wouldn't reply. If she did she probably would have given him a funny answer like "not in the slightest, but at least you're not broke. And with your family. Be thankful, Seb. It's better than nothing." Which was right. She was always right.

Fuck it. He needed a new job. Now.

In a blur of sudden motivation, he lunged towards the news paper on the arm of the couch, careful to avoid Lily. He rummaged through it, turning page after page as fast as he could. When he found the job adds, he was sadly disappointment.

A factory job at the other end of Krimson, meant he would have to move. Nope. Security guard at the local bank? High risk. Full of guns. People to protect. And money. Sounds good. Maybe. Vendor in a park. Hell no. Delivery guy for the museum? He'd had enough of art.

Finally, a small listing for an experiment. He figured it would be one of those stupid things where they give you a pill that's supposed to grow your hair back if you took them for X many weeks or X amount over a period of time.

_Wanted:_   
_Male_   
_5'10 at least._   
_Can handle a gun._   
_Cannot be squeamish in anyway or shy away from a fight._   
_Looking for a partner in an experiment to connect the minds of the human race in an..._

"Fuck. Not again." Who had posted this? He looked for a name, but found nothing. Just a phone number and an address. "They just don't learn, do they?"

"Learn what?" Lily chimed in, half interested.

"To stop playing God."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that people think they have the power and the right to do something because of who they are, but they don't."

"Like you?"

"What?" He turned around, newspaper still in hand.

"Like you. You always drink that gross smelling stuff. Then _you_ smell like it and act weird. Sometimes your mad. Every other time your sad. I always hear you crying in your room or on the couch. Juli says the stuff isn't good for you. Are you playing God, daddy?"

 _Holy shit_. He didn't know whether or not he should be proud of this observant daughter or ashamed that she observed his drinking. He thought that he was hiding it from her. Guess he though wrong.

"What else did Juli tell you?" Lily stayed silent. _Shit, Juli. You just can't keep your mouth shut, can you?_ He sighed. "The next time Juli says something like that to you, I want to you tell me, okay sweetheart?"

"Okay," she said halfheartedly.

Speaking of Juli, he should probably get around to calling her. If anyone other than him should know about this ad, it's her.

He went to pick up the phone then paused. He didn't want to say this in front of Lily. What if it triggered something? He hated seeing her cry. It had only happened a handful of times since getting out of Union, but the fact that it happened less than before made it even more painful when it did happen. It made him feel helpless as a father, which somehow always managed to make him think about loosing her again. Somehow, her crying made him think someone was going to take her away because he couldn't stop her from crying. It always led to solemnly drinking by himself in a bar. Something that would defiantly get her taken away from him.

"Lily." He started, swallowing a lump in his throat. "Why don't you go clean up the books in your room. They're getting a little out of control."

His hand was shaking. Was he actually afraid to make this call? Or was it withdraws? Probably both.

"Go on, sweetheart. Your drawing will still be here when you get back."

"Fine." She whined.

"Thank you." He said, mostly because he wouldn't have to say any of this in front of Lily, but also cause those books were actually getting out of control.

He dialed Juli's number, taking in a deep breath before bringing the phone up to his ear. The phone let out a long tang while he thought. We're people actually dumb enough to try and make another STEM experiment? _Beeeeep._ Did they even realize that by doing this, they were throwing people's lives away? _Beeeeep_. Should he go back? End all of this?! _Beeeeeeep._ It seemed like a good idea. Things were easier there anyways! _Beeeeeeep._ It only takes a few seconds to shoot someone in the face and then take their stuff, especially when they aren't even human any more. It took days to find a job and it required less killing. Not that he liked killing people. _Beeeeeeeeep._ He just didn't like talking to them. Not any more _Beeeeeep_. In STEM, he wouldn't need a job! Just a gun and probably guts of steel. He was going be puking up everything for the first few weeks. Then it dawned on him. Tatiana was right.

"We're sorry, the number you have reached is not available at this time..."

"Fuck." Juli didn't answer. He tried again, not letting his thoughts distract him.

The process repeated. Beep. _Beeep. Beeeep_. After 3 tries, she finally picked up.

"Hey." She said. She sounded tired.

"Hey," he replied. "Did you see the add in the paper?"

"Yeah. I was just trying to call you and ask the same thing."

"Heh. That's why you didn't pick up."

"Yeah." She stayed silent. "Sebastian. I think you should go."

"What?"

"Go into the STEM again."

"What." He reiterated.

"It found something. Well, a few people in Mobius who are still loyal to the cause did. They shared it with me."

"If it's anything about Ruvik, I'm not interested." Since he had shared with her what he had seen after Beacon, she had been obsessed with finding Ruvik, whether he be in STEM or not.

With obsession came the calls at 12 at night (or later) and the emails showing people who looked vaguely like Ruvik, or perhaps even Ruben depending on the state of his burns. It had grown tiresome and now even the name set of a nerve in his body more so than before.

"No, not exactly about Ruvik, although I'm sure hrs involved in this somehow. It's about Joseph."

"What." It seemed to be a common word in this conversation. He set the newspaper down and sat next to it.

"I did tell you he was alive, back in Union? He's alive, Seb."

Sebastian felt light headed. He sat down and rubbed his eyes with his free hand as he tried to make sense of the news.

"He's in STEM and he needs your help. That's why I think you should go." She continued. He didn't answer. The silence concerned Juli and she kept telling him that he was the only one for the job. "No one else would be able to go in and survive. You've done it. Twice."

"I..."

"Look. I'm not one to boast about fate, but I think this might be yours as terrible as it is. The ad even described you, Sebastian!" She exclaimed. "5'10 at least, can handle a gun. Not squeamish. Doesn't shy away from a fight."

Sebastian stayed silent. Tears filled his eyes as he listened to Juli. Tatiana was right. She said she would see him soon. That wasn't even the worst part. He wanted to go back. He wanted nothing more than to shoot something in the face and not have to deal with the repercussions. Life in Crimson was mundane. In the STEM it was exciting. He could recall countless times where his adrenaline was so high, he felt invincible.

"What about Lily?" He said finally, fighting to hold back tears.

"I'll take care of her, I promise."

"You won't tell her anything she's not supposed to know?" He spat.

"Sebastian. I..." She sighed. "I can't make any promises."

He sneered, not liking the answer he was given. "She's a kid, Kidman. She doesn't need nightmares! She already has too many." Kidman. A nick name he only used when upset with her now that their relationship was better.

"I said I can't keep any promises. Lily is more persuasive than you give her credit for. She is your daughter after all."

"You're right," His voice came out more condescending than he anticipated, but deciding he didn't give a fuck, he rolled with it. "My 10 year old daughter is clearly a manipulative Mastermind, capable of tricking a 30 year old woman into telling her about her father's problems with alcohol. Not to mention what he did to Ruvik 3 years ago!"

"Sebastian. I'm sorry. She deserves to know."

"Did you not hear me? She's a kid. She doesn't need to know anything except whatever they teach her in school. Normal stuff, like math! Or English!" He sighed, trying to calm himself. "She doesn't need to know her father has been sent into a false reality, a reality that she spent years in terrified... she doesn't need to know what the job... entails."

"Fine. You've twisted my arm. I won't tell Lily." Juli caved finally. "Just get Joseph back."

"Damn right I will." He hung up, dropping the phone on the couch next to the newspaper.

The room felt oddly silent.

"I'm sorry, Lily."


End file.
